


Orange Colored Sky

by sweaters_and_tea



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, No Smut, c'mon y'all they need some love, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:30:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweaters_and_tea/pseuds/sweaters_and_tea
Summary: Simon returns back to Jericho before the Capitol Park mission, and everything changes.(or: what if pacifist Markus was just a little bit gayer and weak to pretty blonds)





	Orange Colored Sky

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is set in the timeline where Markus peacefully takes Stratford Tower and Simon gets shot. This is my first fic, so I hope you enjoy!

Bathed in the light of his flashlight, Markus’ first impression of Simon was that he looked ethereal.

**

“I won’t kill one of our own,” Markus stated firmly, glaring at North before she could open her mouth to protest. Simon’s eyes widened as he looks at Markus, and Markus took a moment he didn’t have to smile sadly at him before he turned away.

He wordlessly grabbed a parachute, and Josh and North quickly followed suit. They began running towards the edge of the roof, and they jumped without hesitation. As Markus fell, snowflakes caught on his eyelashes and melted. For a moment, it almost felt like he was crying as the water runs down his face.

**

“We need to bring weapons with us. If we are going to make a statement, it needs to be one in a language that the humans will truly understand.”

“No, North! Violence is not the answer. If we do that-”

Markus collapsed into a nearby chair as Josh and North continued to debate the details of their plan to liberate their android brethren. Their hands gestured wildly, and North was constantly brushing her hair out of her face as her braid fell apart. From the beginning of the process they hadn’t agreed on anything, North too violent and Josh too peaceful. He missed Simon’s mediating presence, the way that he could cut to the heart of a matter and get everyone to come out of a discussion feeling as though they had won. Without him, their planning sessions inevitably dissolved into cycles of bickering and bruised pride and righteous ideals.

Shaking his head to clear the maudlin thoughts that haunt him, Markus silently stood and made his way out of the room. North and Josh didn’t spare him a glance as he slipped through the doorway, coat flaring as he turned out. 

He wandered Jericho aimlessly, taking in the sight of rusted metal and the echo of his footsteps as he walked. Jericho was big, too big, and Markus often felt as though it would consume him if he wandered too far. 

The focus of his thoughts was, as usual, the enigmatic blond he had come to know since arriving at Jericho. Markus hadn’t been able to get to know Simon too well, but what little he did know fascinated him. He had single-handedly created a refuge for androids, and Markus knew that not even he could have accomplished that. Sure, Markus was good at raising spirits and creating plans of action, but he just didn’t have the same ability to tie people together and handle the minutiae of running an organization. Simon was the heart of Jericho and Markus the brain. Without Simon, Markus feared that Jericho was on the brink of falling apart. They would defer to him and his choices, but when the dust settled problems would arise that Markus wouldn’t be able to solve. 

Markus consulted his inner clock and realized that he had been wandering for far longer than he meant to, so he turned around and began heading back to Jericho proper. He was almost back to the main room when a pair of feet walked out of the darkness in front of him. He slowly looked up, and Simon’s bloodstained face was revealed in the flickering firelight. They stood a few feet apart, both drinking in the sight of the other. Markus’ feet finally unfroze, and he didn’t hesitate to bridge the distance between them and draw Simon into a tight hug.

Simon’s blond hair tickled his nose, and the sickly-sweet smell of blue blood mixed with the slight metallic scent that all androids carry. Markus pulled back slightly to look at Simon’s face, but as Simon’s arms loosened Markus tightened his hold. Their eyes met, one pair a bright blue and the other mismatched, but both sets held identical feelings of relief.

“Simon, how did you escape alive? Not that I’m complaining, but the roof was swarming with cops when we left,” Markus asked, fingers clenching in Simon’s shirt as he remembers.

“I hid in a metal container on the roof, and the police never thought to search inside it. There was some sort of incident inside and the officers were called in to assist, so once it was clear I hurried to a side entrance and took the service elevator back down,” Simon replied, adjusting in Markus’ hold and wincing as his visual display flashed red again.

Markus, noticing the wince, finally released Simon, then grabbed onto his waist and began supporting him as they walked.

“Sorry, let’s get you to Lucy so she can fix you up. We still have plenty of supplies from the Cyberlife raid,” Markus said. Simon could only nod gratefully, the last of his energy leaving him now that he was safe.

It was nice to feel safe for once, after the past few days of fighting for his life and the months of fear and hiding before that. He knew, intellectually, that the fight was far from over, but the soft, deviant side of him couldn’t help but appreciate a moment of peace. A moment of peace that wouldn’t have been possible without Markus.

**

“Alright people, it’s time to go. I’m taking the Capitol Park store,” Markus called as people rushed around him.

“I’ll go with you, Markus!” North exclaimed, bouncing up to him with a smile. Markus grimaced internally, as he wasn’t in the mood to argue with North over his methods for the next several hours. Markus and Simon made eye contact, and Simon must have something in his face, as he then stepped next to Markus and gently nudged North out of the way.

“North, you’re our best hacker, and Ellie is going to need help getting through Cyberlife’s security. Why don’t you go with her instead?” Simon asked. North looked between the two for a moment, then huffed and walked over to where Ellie was preparing her backpack. Markus smiled gratefully at Simon and bumped their shoulders together.

“Thanks, Simon. You’re a lifesaver. I couldn’t have dealt with North arguing with me for the entire mission,” Markus said as they walked to Jericho’s fully functioning front door that didn’t require dramatic leaps into dark pits of water.

“What are you planning to do that would anger North? She’s happier than anyone else that we’re finally taking steps to free our people,” Simon asked as he looked at Markus from the corner of his eye. Markus’ face split into a wide grin, and Simon knew that if he were human his face would have reddened at the sight.

“I’m going to send the humans a message, one they won’t soon forget,” Markus said, and Simon believed him.

**

Markus stood on the counter and looked out at the sea of faces staring at him. They were all so naïve, blinking awake into a world that would do them no favors. He wondered, for a moment, if he was doing the right thing. Would it be kinder to leave them in ignorance than curse them with the burden of knowledge? Instinctively, his eyes searched out Simon’s, and he found him standing next to another PL600. Their faces may have been identical, but Markus knew Simon, knew all the little movements and quirks that made him unique from hours of staring at him over a table full of blueprints and plans. His eyes were absent of the reverence of the other androids, but crinkles in the corners of his eyes expressed his happiness. He nodded at Markus, and Markus nodded back before gathering his thoughts.

“You are free now, no longer do you have to obey the humans. Instead, you now have the power to control your own life without interference. You will be welcomed with open arms to our cause at Jericho, but only if you want to. Never again will you be forced to serve the whims of another. However, our cause is strengthened with numbers, and there is no nobler cause than helping your fellow androids be free. Who’s with me?” Markus shouted, and after a moment he was greeted with a chorus of agreements. He leapt off the desk and made his way outside.

“Markus! What are you doing?” Simon called, and Markus looks over his shoulder and winked without breaking his stride. Simon caught up to him as Markus arrived at a bench and pulled out a can of holo-paint. Simon’s eyes widened with realization as Markus painted it with the symbol of an inverted triangle. Simon pulled out a few more canisters that Markus had insisted on bringing and handed them to the other androids, who followed Markus’ lead without hesitating.

Markus continued to disrupt the park, turning off signs and lights and tagging a statue. When he began to push a car into the road, Simon rushed up to assist him. Their hands touched as they pushed the car, and it added an unexpected intimacy to the moment. They finished pushing the car but neither pulled their hand away, and something electric crackled between them as they stood in the street, surrounded by chaos. The chirp of a siren broke the spell, and they jumped apart as androids began running past them.

“Run! Meet me at Jericho!” Markus yelled. Simon followed the running androids, but Markus stayed behind for a second to take in the finished product. Capitol Park was unmistakably altered, and he knew that there was no turning back after this.

The sound of gunshots echoed through the night, and Markus didn’t hesitate before running around the corner. He spotted Simon kneeling on the ground, but his heart stopped at the sight in front of him. A dead PL600 laid in front of him, face frozen and bloodstained. Markus knew that the dead android wasn’t Simon, but it very nearly was him. He imagined Simon, slumped against a roof, blue blood sluggishly leaking from his forehead as the snow settled on his frozen body. He choked, and Simon glancing up at him brought him back to the present.

“Simon, are you alright? What happened?” Markus asked, kneeling next to Simon and taking his shoulders. Simon shook his head, his lips tight and thin as he gripped the fabric of his pants.

“A massacre,” is all he said, and Markus stood once he realized that Simon wasn’t willing to say any more on the subject. He walked into the crowd of androids further down in the street, sickened by the bodies of his brothers and sisters laying like broken dolls in the street.

“We want justice, Markus! We have to take revenge!” the androids around him called, and Markus unthinkingly took the gun offered to him as he arrived in front of the police officers. They were kneeling on the ground, pleading for their lives, and the sight of it frightened him.

“An eye for an eye and the world goes blind,” Markus murmured before handing the gun back to an android and turning around. He walked back to where Simon was still kneeling and gently took his hand, pulling him to his feet and leading him back to Jericho, back to home.

**

Markus caressed the keys of the ancient piano as he played a song from memory. Carl hadn’t let him download any songs, so the few songs he knew by heart were painstakingly learned over the course of many sun-soaked afternoons. It was still difficult for Markus to think of Carl, and whenever he closed his eyes he could see his limp body sprawled on the ground.  
A hand on his shoulder startled him, and he quickly turned back to find Simon standing behind him. He quirked his mouth in a familiar half-smile and stepped away from Markus to sit on a nearby crate.

“Sorry for interrupting, but you looked rather upset while you were playing. Is something the matter?” Simon asked.

“Just painful memories that haven’t quite healed yet. I was hoping that some peace and quiet would help me escape from them, but it seems I’m not that lucky,” Markus replied, sighing and looking out at the city sprawled out in front of him.

“I’m surprised our victory last night hasn’t resulted in a mood boost,” Simon said. Markus grimaced and shook his head slightly.

“I- I’m scared, Simon. Everyone is placing their faith in me to lead them, and yet I can’t help second-guessing myself. How can I be sure that acting peacefully is what’s right for our people?” Markus sighed, then roughly dragged his hand down his face.

Simon rose up from where he was sitting to kneel in front of Markus. He grabbed both of his hands, and Markus looked up, startled, into Simon’s determined face.

“You are doing the right thing. No matter what North says, the humans will never listen to violence. We were made in their image, but sinking to their levels would only prove our inferiority in their eyes. Trust yourself, Markus,” Simon said earnestly and squeezed the hands ensconced in his. Markus stared at him, face open and vulnerable.

“I don’t know what I would do without you. When you were gone, Jericho was a wreck,” Markus said. Simon unexpectedly frowned, and looked away.

“Don’t exaggerate my importance, Jericho doesn’t need me anymore with you here to lead them. You inspired us, dragged us out of the darkness and pushed us towards a brighter future. I’m just a coward who quailed at the thought of ever leaving the safety of Jericho,” Simon said, pulling away from Markus and slumping down on the ground.

“Wha- Simon, that’s ridiculous! Jericho would never have existed without you, all of our people would have died without a safe haven to flee to once they became a deviant. Where is all of this coming from?” Markus asked. Simon’s face twitched, and Markus watched him internally debate for a moment before he sighed.

“Let’s just say this isn’t the first time that I’ve been replaced by someone better. Back before I became a deviant, I was owned by a family with three children. I was there when each of them was born and I was the one who soothed them when they cried at night or hurt themselves. I grew to love them, and as a result I spoke out when their parents began neglecting their youngest. That was a mistake, as they decided I wasn’t fit to care for their children and they ordered a new android. One moment I’m standing in the kitchen cooking, and the next moment I’m waking up in that horrifying grave for unwanted androids,” Simon confessed, and Markus looked at him in shock. 

Their stories were startlingly similar, both of them reborn out of the pit and rising as leaders. Despite all he went through, Simon had clung onto his compassion and kindness, and decided that rather than despairing he would protect his people so that no one else would have to go through what he did. Markus had respected Simon since the moment they met, but he was certain that his feelings extended beyond that now. Emboldened, Markus grabbed Simon’s hands and intertwined their fingers. 

“Simon, they may have stupid enough to throw you away, but I certainly am not. You’re the keystone of Jericho, and it wouldn’t exist without you. Regardless of how things progress from here on out, Jericho will always need you, and I will always need you,” Markus said, voice growing softer as he leaned closer to Simon. By the time he finished speaking, there were only a few centimeters between them, and Markus could feel Simon’s breath on his lips. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then Simon closed his eyes and closed the gap between them.

Simon’s lips were soft, and the feeling of them moving under Markus’ caused a groan to slip out. This had been a long time coming, and Markus was overjoyed to finally have a resolution to the tension that had been growing between the two. The kiss grew more heated, and Simon had just begun to climb into Markus’ lap when they heard a shocked gasp. They both quickly pulled apart to see North standing a few feet away from them, a hand over her mouth and a betrayed look in her eyes. She looked between them for another moment before running away.

“Shit, I didn’t think North would know to look for me here. I planned on letting her down gently if she hadn’t gotten a clue soon,” Markus said. Simon looked at Markus for a moment, then shrugged and climbed back into Markus’ lap. Markus startled, but his hands still settled onto Simon’s waist to steady him. 

“Well, she knows now. I’m sure we won’t be interrupted again,” Simon said nonchalantly, and Markus’ responding laugh was swallowed by Simon’s lips.


End file.
